By the Rev. Canon J. E. Jackson. 



273 



London there was a regular office in St. Paul's Churchyard for 

 granting licenses to eat flesh, in any part of England. 



Sometimes in the case of people of rank, they got a regular deed 

 signed and sealed by a Bishop, or a Cardinal. There is one at 

 Longleat, with a fine seal and signature of Cardinal Pole, Arch- 

 bishop of Canterbury. 



In the Town of Chippenham there was always a jury of 12 

 men, impanelled about the month of March every year, called 

 " The Jury for the eating of flesh. " This did not mean, as at 

 first sound might be supposed, that they were to make official 

 experiment of the qualities of the various dinner-tables of their 

 neighbours : but their business was to see that neither their neigh- 

 bours nor themselves eat any flesh at all during Lent. When 

 that season was over the jury made their report, which generally 

 ran thus :— " Which say upon their oaths that they found none of 

 the inhabitants to have dressed or eaten flesh at this time of Lent," 

 But on one occasion, 18th April, 1606, their return was as follows : 

 " Which say upon their oaths that Thomas Baker, butcher, has 

 killed, dressed, and sold flesh in this time of Lent, in his house 

 within the aforesaid Borough : and the said Robert, this present 

 morning, offered and put up to sale in his shop, one quarter of 

 veal, one loin of veal, a quarter of mutton, 3 shoulders of mutton 

 and one breast of mutton : contrary to the statute." In 1609 they 

 reported that " in the house of one Moses Signett they find meat 

 dressed to the value of one penny. Other they found none." The 

 search however was limited, (as appears by the terms of the oath) 

 to " all the houses of all butchers, innkeepers, tiplers, taverners, 

 victuallers and other suspect houses within the Borough." 



Leather. 



It was usual to appoint every year two officers, called " Searchers 



or Seekers of Leather." They were sworn to their duty, and the 



form of the oath was this : — 



" Ye both shall swear, That ye shall be true searchers of leather within this 

 Borough, and shall search, look and see That all manner ot tanned leather 

 offered or put to sale be well, sufficiently and thoroughly tanned, wrought, and 

 dryed : and neither for favour or affection of any person ye shall allow or seal 



